


Flight Instructor

by rebel_wren



Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Resistance (Cartoon)
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff, Gen, Old Hera Syndulla, One Shot, Reference to Jacen Syndulla, Reference to Kanan Jarrus, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teenage Kazuda Xiono, dubiously canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 19:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21325357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_wren/pseuds/rebel_wren
Summary: Kaz has to leave to go to the official New Republic Military Academy for flight, but he's feeling guilty about telling that to his current flight teacher.
Relationships: Hera Syndulla & Kazuda Xiono
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	Flight Instructor

“General Syndulla?”

Kaz’s flight teacher- an older Twi’lek woman with light green skin who he couldn’t even imagine in anything other than a flightsuit- turned around to him, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes visible as she smiled.

“Kaz,” she said warmly. “I was hoping you’d stop by. I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but you did  _ excellent _ in the drill today. I wish I had more pilots like you back during the war. We could’ve done some great things flying together.”

Kaz’s face prickled from the compliment. Hera Syndulla thought he did  _ excellent _ ?  _ The _ Hera Syndulla? This day was going much better than he thought.

His father said that he hero-worshipped his teacher too much, but what did he know?

Why was Kaz here again?”

“Wow, th- thank you. That means a lot!”

Kaz nervously adjusted his new jacket- a gift from his father to congratulate him on-

Yes. That was why he was here.

She sat down at her desk, adjusting the position of a small holoprojector that always glowed with a picture of her with her son Jacen, a half-Twi’lek man over ten years Kaz’s senior that was also an excellent pilot. Kaz hoped to be that kind of pilot when he was older.

“Anytime. Now, what are you here for?”

Kaz nervously rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, and slowly approached her desk.

“General, you’ve been a really great teacher. Like, really  _ really _ great. I’ve learned so much, and-  _ ah _ !”

He tried to lean forward against her desk, but his hand slipped and hit her holoprojector. He jumped back in embarrassment, pulling his arms close to his body to prevent them from knocking over anything else, as they often did. General Syndulla chuckled and picked it up, though stopped for a moment as she looked at it- the image had switched from the one of her and Jacen. She looked younger in it, and a human man that Kaz didn’t recognize, with long brown hair and a goatee, was behind her with his arms around her waist. They were both laughing, and Kaz suddenly realized he had never heard anything about Jacen Syndulla’s father.

He hardly got to have a good look at the holograph though, because she quickly turned it off and set it back down on her desk, clearing her throat and chuckling at Kaz.

“You’re much smoother in the cockpit, do you know that?”

“Yeah…” Kaz admitted. “Sorry.”

“Now, where were we?”

“Um- I, uh… right!” Kaz stammered. “I’ve learned so much-”

“Skip the flattery,” she said with a maternal smile. “What’s going on?”

Kaz sighed guiltily.

“My dad wanted me to go back home to Hosnian Prime. He- er, I put in an application to the New Republic Academy, to put me on track to being in the Defense Fleet, and they accepted it. My dad is picking me up tonight. I- I won’t be in your class anymore, General. I’m really sorry.”

“Never be sorry for your achievements,” she said, standing up from her chair and going around the desk. “I’ll miss having you in my class, but I’m proud of you. The Defense Fleet will be lucky to have you, someday.”

Kaz beamed proudly. “Thank you, General Syndulla. I promise, I’ll make you proud.”

“I’m sure you will,” she put a gloved hand on his shoulder.

“You’re a good teacher.”

“Maybe not as good as the Academy,” she joked.

“I’m sure you’re better.”

She shrugged, pulling her hand from Kaz’s shoulder, and going back to sit down. “You’ll have to let me know once you get there,” she said, pulling her seat in. “You better not forget about me.”

“Never, General. I promise.”

She smiled at him over her desk. “You’re going to do great things, Kaz, I just know it. Just don’t doubt yourself so much.”

“I don’t doubt myself!”

“Not when you’re flying, you don’t. But you aren’t always flying.”

Kaz couldn’t argue with her there. “I- I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Goodbye, Kaz,” she said. “I hope it won’t be too long before we see each other again.”

“Me neither,” he said, heading out the door backwards to wave goodbye, bumping into a shelf as he did and quickly turning around to steady it. General Syndulla stifled quiet laughter behind her hand as Kaz finally left.

Right before the door closed behind him, he was sure he heard the sound of a holoprojector clicking on again.

**Author's Note:**

> I've always seen Hera becoming a flight teacher after the war, but not quite with the official military academy. I'm not sure how well this fits into canon, but honestly, who's to say Kaz DIDN'T go to a smaller flight school before he went to the Academy?
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this story!


End file.
